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Safety Grade
We compute an overall water quality grade based on violations and health risks, not just legal compliance.
Health Context
Every contaminant comes with plain-English health effects, who's most at risk, and what to do.
Violation History
See every time your water exceeded legal limits or missed required testing, up to 10 years back.
Recommendations
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About this data: ClearWater uses the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). Data is for public water systems only; private wells are not included. Legal limits (MCLs) are minimum standards; some contaminants may still pose health risks below legal thresholds.
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NEWARK WATER DEPARTMENT
NEWARK, DE · 40,000 people served · Surface Water
Data last updated: 2026-07-12
12 total violations on record. No currently active health-based violations.
Health-Based Violations
- pH: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation (Resolved) — State Compliance achieved (State) on 2018-07-27
Lead & Copper
| Measure | Result | EPA action level | Status | Monitoring period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead (90th percentile) | 0.001 mg/L | 0.015 mg/L | Below action level | 2024-12-31 |
These are 90th-percentile results across sampled household taps, not a single measurement, and neither lead nor copper has a Maximum Contaminant Level. Lead reaches tap water from household plumbing rather than from the treatment plant, so a result below the action level does not guarantee your own tap is below it. Source: EPA SDWIS, Lead and Copper Rule sampling.
Lithium
This system was monitored for lithium and none was detected at or above EPA's minimum reporting level of 9 µg/L.
Lithium has no federal drinking water limit. The Health Reference Level is a non-regulatory screening value from EPA's CCL 5 process, not an enforceable standard, and a result above it is not a violation. The figure shown is the highest single detection reported for this system; EPA compares averages, not maxima, when it reports national statistics. Source: EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data, reference values from EPA's UCMR 5 Data Summary (January 2026), Table 2.
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NEWARK WATER DEPARTMENT: Frequently Asked Questions
Is NEWARK WATER DEPARTMENT water safe to drink?
NEWARK WATER DEPARTMENT has had multiple health-based violations in recent years (grade C). Review the specific violations below and consider filtering your drinking water.
What violations has NEWARK WATER DEPARTMENT had?
Recent health-based violations at NEWARK WATER DEPARTMENT include: pH. See the full violation history on this page for dates, status, and details.
Does NEWARK WATER DEPARTMENT water have lead?
Lead in drinking water typically comes from household plumbing, not from NEWARK WATER DEPARTMENT's treatment plant. See the Lead & Copper section on this page for the most recent 90th-percentile lead test results. If your home was built before 1986, consider running cold water for 30 seconds before drinking and using an NSF/ANSI 53-certified filter.
Related water quality pages
PFAS / Forever Chemicals
EPA UCMR5 monitoring data (2023–2025). 8 PFAS compounds detected.
| Compound | Detected | EPA MCL | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| PFOA | 0.0253 µg/L | 0.004 µg/L | OVER LIMIT |
| PFHxA | 0.0132 µg/L | 3 µg/L USGS Health-Based Screening Level, not a limit |
Below reference concentration |
| PFPeA | 0.0126 µg/L | - | No federal MCL |
| PFBA | 0.0112 µg/L | 6 µg/L USGS Health-Based Screening Level, not a limit |
Below reference concentration |
| PFHpA | 0.0079 µg/L | - | No federal MCL |
| PFOS | 0.0075 µg/L | 0.004 µg/L | OVER LIMIT |
| PFBS | 0.0066 µg/L | - | No federal MCL |
| PFHxS | 0.0055 µg/L | 0.01 µg/L | Within limit |
PFAS Mixture Hazard Index: 0.55
EPA sets a Hazard Index limit of 1 for water containing two or more of PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS, because these compounds have additive health effects. This system has 2 of the four: PFBS (0.0066 µg/L), PFHxS (0.0055 µg/L).
Indicative Hazard Index of 0.55 is below EPA's limit of 1.
This is not a compliance determination. EPA determines compliance from a running annual average of quarterly samples. The figure above is calculated from a single UCMR5 detection per compound, so it indicates the likely mixture risk rather than establishing a violation. On 18 May 2026 EPA proposed to rescind the drinking water regulations for PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA (GenX) and this Hazard Index. The 2024 rule remains in force while the proposal is pending.
Source: EPA Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR5). MCLs finalized April 2024. Values shown are the maximum detected concentration across all sampling events, not running annual averages.
Lead & Copper
What To Do
Violations
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